Draft and center sill connection.



P. M. BEARD.

DRAFT AND CENTER SILL CONNECTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9 1914.

1,109,610, Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

UNITED STATE S PATENT OFFICE.

RAUL M. BEARD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOB. TO AIVI-ERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMJBANY, OF ST. LOUIS,

MISSOURI, A CQRPOR-ATION OF NEW JERSEY.

DRAFT ANDIGENTEB SILL CONNECTION.

"1 JOSLGIO Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

Application filed March 9, 1914. Serial No. 823,390.

'1 h on wiwm it may concern.

lle it known that 1, PAUL ML BEARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of 1\iiss'ou ri. have invented 'a certain new and useful improvement in Draft and Center Sill Connections, of which the following is a full, clear. and exact description. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same reference being had to the accompanying d rawinps, forming part of this si iuzcilication in which- Figure 1 is a top view of a fragmentary 'Z'kail'YlOD of a car uni'lerframe embodying iny lnVPfltiOIl. Fig. l is a side. View partly in se: ion talzeiron li e Q-2 of Fig. l. and illu-irating the mimection of the center sill wif h the bolster and a draft sill. Fig. 3 is a ri in section on line 3-3 of Fig. l. Fig. a detail showinga top View of the coniie. .or plates in position. Fig. 5 is a detail sh ving an outside View of one of thiton- HCJlOl' plates in elevation. Fig. 6 is a detai showing an inside View of a connector plate .n el tio'n Fig. 7 is a View taken on line F ii: Fig F1 1;. 8 1s a sectional YIQW on lin S 8 of Fig Fig. 9 is a detail taken in section on line 9 -9 of Figs i. Fig. 10 is a bottom JlCW' of the center bearing plate.

lily llh'cntiml relates broadly to railway mnstruction. and specifically to a new improved form of joint or coni'iection iii for the center sills and draft sills of a car amerframe.

fily invention has for its primary Ol)]GCt the revision of a form of connection or joint for uniting the center sills and the draft sills of a car underfraine which will form. a strong and. rigid connection whereby the stresses applied to the draft sills will be transmitted to the center sill, which construction provides for the quick and facile removal of the bolster or other transverse handler which commonly intersects the {enter sills and th draft sills adjacent their poant of eounerlion.

The object of my invention also contemlies the pro\ ision of a construction whereo the bolster, when in position, acts as a su iiori. for the center sill. but may be re- :mm ed therefrom. whereupon. the center sill is supported by the draft sills.

My invention h as for further objects the provision ot a construction which strong,

stable. economical, and capable of rapid assembling.

By reference to F ig. l of the drawin s, it will be understood that 1 represents Ol ie of 1 the side sills of the car underfranie. E2 the end sill, l the body bolster, 5 the center sill,

and 6 the draft sills. l By reference to Fig. 2. it will be seen that the draft sills 6 terminate just sh rt of the l bolster l. and that the center sill is formed with a shoulder portion .3 whith abuts the side of the bolster. and an oierhanging portion or extension .7 which projects over and rests upon the top of the bolster. The connection of the center sill with the draft sills is accomplished by means of a pair of con-- i nector plates T, one formed as a left and the other formed as a right. As best shown in Figs. and (3. these connector plates are formed with an aperture or inset S extending upward y l l l from their bottom sides at l about thei; middle portioin'which apertures i provid passageways for the bolster 4. The sides of these apertures are substantially l \illlit'i'll so as to permit the. bolsters being introduced or renioyed from belmwwithout i removing the connector plates. Much of these connector plates is formed with an l inner vertical web portion 9, which is adapted to abut against the vertical web of l the center sill, and an outer vertical web 10 l which is adapted to abut againstthe inner l vertical face of one of the draft sills. l The inner and outer webs 9 and 10 are l connected by a top flange 11 and a medial flange 12, which flanges are connected by a short rertiml liange ll alined with the inner web 9 and forming substantially a continuation thereof. As illustrated in Figs. 9 and 4, the flanges 11 and i2 and the vertical webs 10 and 14 form a quadr i.. ral housing or filling block extending above the bolster aperture and continuing across the space intermediate the ends of the center and the draft sills. This forms a Very strong and very stable connection. The pertions of the webs 9 and 10 adjacent the aperture 8 are finished with the transverse webs 15 and 16 respectively. he outer web 10 is also provided with a bottom horizontal flange 17 integral with the transverse flange 10, and the web 9 is provided with a similar horizontal bottom flange 18 connecting with i the transverse web 15. The medial flange 12 forms a broad bearing portion which is adapted to rest on top of the bolster. The flanges 18 and ll 1 re suitably pitched to conform to the channel side contour of the flanges of the renter The web 1tis provided with a t p ll ll) which is adapted to rest on top of the upper horizontal flange of the draft sill.

Tn assembling the connection, webs fl of a pair of the against the vertical web ol the center sill. and riveted through with the rivets 20.

The web 10 of each connwftor plate is then l riveted to the abutting draft sill by the rivets 2], and the flanges 19 are similarly riveted to the top flanges of the draft sills. The bolster then having been positioned in the apertures is secured in place by the rivets :22 of the medial flange 12 and the rivets 14 of the transverse llan s'l5 and 16. A cross shaped cei'iter LZlI'll plate 25. illustrated in Fig. i0, is then placed in position spanning the apertures 8 at the bottom of the connection, and secured in position by the rivets 95 passing through the bottom flanges of the center sill, and the bottom flanges rivets 26 set in the flanges 17, and the rivets 27 set in the bottom flanges of the bolster member.

If it is necessary to remove the bolster for the purpose of repair, such may be accomplished Without the removal of the connector plates, and without disturbing the connection of the center and draft sills. This is accomplished by cutting oil the rivets 22, 24, Q5, 26 and 27, removing the center bearing plate 23, and lowering the holster from the aperture 8. i

This form of connection provides a very strong and rigid joint over the point of sup port of the underframe. The connection is rendered particularly stable by having the center sill support-ed directly on the bolster by means of the overhanging portion 5*, and by having the center sill and draft sills connected across the top of the bolster by the heavy continuous Webs ill and 12. At the same time, the form of connection provides for economical construction by virtue of the fact that commercial rolled forms can be utilized for the center sill and the draft sill.

am aware that various r 'ianges and modifications may be made in the device Which may dili'er in particulars from the form illustrated and described, without doparting from the spirit of my invention, or the scope thereof, as indicated in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an undertrame construction, the

18 of the connector plates, the.

connector plates are flan-ed l l l l combination of a center sill having apor I I v and connector members formed with webs tion abutting a side of the bolster, and a PG? tion resting above the bolster, a draft sill terminating {[(ljfltfllll. the opposite side of the looister,-and a connector plate embracing the top and sides of the bolster and provided with flanges crmnccting the draft sill and the center sill.

in an undcrframe construction, a center sill having a portion abutting the side of the transverse member and a portion overhanging the said transverse member and supported thereon. a draft sill terminating adjacent the opposite side of the transverse member, and a coninectmplate embracing the t p and sides of the transverse member and provided with continuous flanges passing above the transverse member and connecting the center and draft sills, and a removable member passing below the transverse member and connected to the connector plate at opposite sides of the transverse member.

3. in an underi'rame construction, a center sill and admit sill ollsetrelative to each other on opposite sides of a transverse member, said center sill having a portion overhanging the transverse nector plate embracing the top and sides of the transverse member and having oifset Webs attached to the'center and draft sills respectively. said ofi'set webs being connected to each other by flanges passing over the transverse member.

1" an under-frame construction, a center and a. draft sill horizontally offset from each other, a transverse member dis-, posed intermediate said center and draft sills, said sills having vertical Web portions, and a connector plate embracing the top and sides of said transverse member and havirg a portion in the form of a housing with vertical sides and top and bottom sides spanning the interval intermediate the center and draft sills.

5. In an underframe construction, a con nector plate provided with a downwardly opening aperture, a transverse member disposed in said aperture and removable downwardly therefrom, a center sill and a. draft sill disposed on opposite sides of said transverse member and oli'set horizontally from each other, said connector plate being provided with vertical and horizontal Web portions, forming a filling member spanning the interval of the lateral ofiset and longitudinal displacement of the ends of the center and draft sills, and means securing said center and draft sills to said connector plates.

6. In a can construction, a pair of draft sills provided with vertical webs, a center sill provided with a vertical web disposed on ine intermediate the webs of the draft "i; a transverse member disposed intermediate the center sill and the draft sills,

attached to the vertical webs of the'centcr and draft sills, said connector members having flanges passingabove the transverse member and connecting the said webs and 7. In a carconstruction, a'draft sill and a center sill .ofis'etghorizontally relative to each other, ,a, bolster disposed adjacent the juxtaposed ends of said sills and removable downwardly therefrom, and a connector ,plate attached to said sills on either side of said bolster, said connector plate having a portion in the form of hollow filling members extending intermediate the juxtaposed extremities of the draft and the center sills.

-8. In an underframe construction, a pair of draft sills having vertical webs, a center sill having a vertical web alined substan- 4 tially'inidway between the draft sill webs, al

- presented webs secured to the webs of the a pair of connector plates having outwardly draftsills inwardly presented webs secured i' to theweb of the center sill and flanges connecting' said outwardly. and inwardly pre sented webs, said connector plates being protzcvided' with downwardly opening apertures,

a bolster disposed in said apertures and a reenter plate spanning said apertures and extending under the extremities of the center 3O and. draft sills. [9, In an underframe construction, the combination of a center sill having a vertical web and lateral flanges, draft sills formed with vertical webs, a bolster interposed between the extrcmities ofsaid draft sills and said center sill and underlying a portion of the center sill, and a connector plate connecting the center sill with the draft sill and embracingthe bolster on three sides; said connector plate having laterally directed flanges adapted to engage the lateral flanges of the center sill, and webs adapted for attachment to the vertical webs of the center and the draft sills.

.10. In an underframe construction, a bolster member, a connector plate provided with an aperture affording a seat for the bolster member and flanges affording bearing surfaces on three sides of the bolster, a center sill having a portion disposed above the bolster and a portionadjacent one side of the bolster, said center sill being connected to said connector plate, and a draft sill terminating adjacent the opposite side of the bolster and secured to the connector plate.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses,

this seventhday of March, 1914.

PAUL M. BEARD. Y

Witnesses OSCAR I'IOCI-IBERG, J AMES J. COOPER. 

